A number of arrangements have been devised in the past for solving, or at least attempting to solve, the problem of impotency. Failure to achieve and maintain a penile erection can be caused by many psychological and physical factors. Impotency and the failure to maintain an erection can have a devastating effect on the well-being of not only the afflicted individual but loved ones as well.
The actual physical aspects of penile erection are well understood. Through a mental process, the brain sends messages for blood to flow through an artery at the base of the penis. The pressurized blood fills spongy-tissued chambers located along the penile shaft. Blood flow out of the penis is restricted by small veins along the top of the penis which constrict to trap pressurized blood in the penile chambers.
When the afore-described natural erection process of capturing and holding pressurized blood in the penile chambers is interfered with by failure of the veins at the top of the penis to become or remain constricted, the erection either never takes place or fails prematurely.
A number of approaches have been developed for assisting a male to obtain and maintain a penile erection. One such approach involves the surgical implantation of devices in the penis. Obviously, this is an expensive procedure. Hospitalization is required as are the services of expensive medical professionals. Then, too, surgical implantation techniques can actually cause physical damage to the penis which render it incapable of attaining a natural erection.
A wide variety of devices have been devised over the years which are adapted to be applied to the penis externally and cooperate therewith to promote and maintain an erection. Generally speaking, such devices are characterized by their relative high expense and complexity. Some of these devices are relatively unwieldy, more or less being in the form of external braces. Obviously, devices of this nature can interfere with the act of sexual intercourse.
Devices are known which apply a vacuum to the outside of a penis to enlarge it by inducing blood flow therein. A flexible ring is then attached at the root of the penis to maintain the erection.
A device called a pubis ring has been developed which can be applied externally of the penis for the purpose of maintaining an erection. The pubis ring is intended to be used primarily by males who can develop an erection naturally but cannot maintain it for an extended period of time. The pubis ring comprises a loop with opposed ends which enter opposite ends of a flexible sleeve and emerge together from an aperture in the sleeve. The user reduces the size of the loop by pulling on the ends thereof and securing same. The pubis ring can be difficult to use and the manipulation required to utilize the device can be distracting and detrimental to maintenance of the erection.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,539,980, 4,628,915 and Des. 293,473 relate to a system aimed at helping a male obtain and maintain an erection. The system includes an elastic ring centered between two elastic loops attached to the periphery of the ring. The loops are used to stretch the ring radially outwardly to enlarge the opening defined thereby sufficiently to fit over the penis.
The system also includes an accessory which is employed to apply the ring. The accessory includes a cone and integral cylinder positioned on the penis and having the elastic ring stretched thereover. A sleeve is detachably connected to the cone and cylinder and the stretched ring is transferred to the sleeve. The sleeve is then detached from the cone and cylinder and slid down the penis to the root thereof. The ring is then slid off the sleeve at the base of the penis.
The system just described is expensive and employment of a special accessory to facilitate ring placement on the penis is not always convenient or appropriate. Then too, such an accessory is quite bulky as compared to the elastic ring and loop structure itself. It is not always convenient to transport the accessory upon one's person. This means the accessory might not be available when one wishes to employ it.